The present invention relates to communication networks, and, more particularly, to systems and methods for recovery of communication to a node on a high speed serial bus.
High speed serial bus networks are utilized in automotive, aircraft, and space vehicles to allow audio, video, and data communication between various electronic components or nodes within the vehicle. Vehicle nodes may include a central computer node, a radar node, a navigation system node, a display node, or other electronic components for operating the vehicle.
Automotive, aircraft, and space vehicle manufacturers often use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) parts to implement a high speed serial bus to minimize the cost for developing and supporting the vehicle nodes and the serial bus network. However, COTS for implementing a conventional high speed serial bus network in a home to connect a personal computer to consumer audio/video appliances (e.g., digital video cameras, scanners, and printers) is susceptible to errors induced by radiation, which may be present in space (e.g., proton and heavy ion radiation) or come from another vehicle having a radar device (e.g., RF radiation). Conventional methods of shielding high speed serial bus networks and COTS parts from radiation do not adequately protect against proton and heavy ion radiation. In addition, conventional shielding may be damaged (e.g., during repair of a vehicle), permitting a radiation induced latch-up error or upset error to occur. A COTS part experiencing a radiation induced latch-up error typically does not operate properly on the associated high speed bus network. A COTS part experiencing a radiation induced upset error typically communicates erroneous data to the associated node or on the high speed bus network. Thus, vehicles that use COTS to implement a conventional high speed serial bus network are often susceptible to radiation induced errors that may interrupt communication between vehicle nodes, creating potential vehicle performance problems.
For example, a conventional high-speed serial bus following the standard IEEE-1394 (“IEEE-1394 bus”) allows a personal computer to be connected to consumer electronics audio/video appliances, storage peripherals, and portable consumer devices for high speed multi-media communication. However, when a conventional IEEE-1394 bus is implemented in a vehicle using COTS parts, radiation from another vehicle's radar or radiation present in space may cause a latch-up or upset error on the conventional IEEE-1394 bus that often renders one or more of the vehicle's nodes inoperative.
Some conventional vehicles employ a second or redundant high-speed serial bus to allow communication between vehicle nodes to be switched to the redundant bus when a “hard fail” (e.g., vehicle node ceases to communicate on the first bus) occurs on the first bus. Radiation induced latch-up errors often cause “hard fails” when COTS parts are used in the vehicle nodes to implement the first and redundant busses. For example, the U.S. Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) aircraft has a redundant IEEE-1394 high-speed serial bus network. But the ATF and other conventional vehicles employing a redundant high-speed serial bus implemented using COTS components are still typically susceptible to radiation latch-up or upset errors and do allow for recovery of the primary bus when a “hard fail” occurs on that bus.
Therefore, a need exists for systems and methods that overcome the problems noted above and others previously experienced for error recovery on a high speed serial bus.